Sadly, in recent years, the word guru has all but lost its original meaning. The deluded beings of this time are greedy for everything pure and stainless, so they grab at the principle of the guru, spoil it, reject it and then move on to another perfect treasure to lay waste. It has happened far too often and as a result gurus are now mistrusted in the modern world and often ridiculed in popular culture. Nevertheless, for someone serious about following a spiritual path there is no substitute for being guided by a guru.
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book Not for Happiness: A Guide to the So-Called Preliminary Practices
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Further quotes from the book Not for Happiness:
- Being able to start practicing right away
- Obstacles Create Fertile Ground for Practice
- It cannot be fixed
- Life is a stream of sensory illusions
- Rip that ego apart
- Sign of a mature practitioner
- Not designed to cheer you up
- Three higher trainings
- Dawn of wisdom
- Avoid being distracted
- Without the personal advice of Buddha
- Mara’s five arrows
- Filtered perception
- Wishing happiness for those who have hurt you
- Very little time left for practice
- Dealing with Emotions
- Remain alone and practise the dharma
- Opposite direction to dharma
- Sources of our inspiration
- Practise whichever method works for you